Spoil of Rohan
by Hex Of The Unseelie
Summary: Rohan is slowly turning into Ruins as Grima takes a stronger hold on the King. Theodred, Eomer and Eowyn are being raised in horrible circumstances. Will the land fall into spoil or can old enemies somehow revive better life?
1. Things Gone Wrong

Spoil of Rohan  
  
~  
  
Title: Spoil of Rohan  
  
Summary: The years that Grima has taken hold over Theoden and things in Rohan are looking worse and worse by the day. The city is fallen into corruption and crime. Not to mention they are on very bad terms with Gondor. The royal children, Eomer, Eowyn, and Theodred are being raised under horrible circumstance at the most important times in their lives.  
  
Rating: "R", for some violence, extreme bad attitude, some sexuality (no explicit scenes).  
  
Disclaimer: Tolkien invented all of it, I don't own any of it and wouldn't dream of trying to claim that I thought of any of it myself. I had the idea for the story and characters you don't recognize from the books or the movies are generally mine.  
  
Archive: Ask please!  
  
Warnings: No explicit sex scenes (that includes any rape or slash scenes), no curse words that are too terrible. Though I will say that the characters are a bit, or a lot, out of character because after all, it's my story! Special warning for Theodred and Eomer to be out of character!  
  
Authoress's Note: This is the sequel to Flower of Gondor, though it isn't necessary to read Flower of Gondor to understand this story. This story is set 18 years after Flower of Gondor in the year 3013 and character ages go as follows: Eomer: 22, Boromir: 35, Faramir: 30, Eowyn: 18. I have checked dates and ages with the books so everything should be about correct. If something is wrong please inform the authoress and I will do my best to change the mistake unless it would alter the story greatly, after all this is the world of the fanfics and being so it's all made up! Yes, I know Ciara is not a very good elven name. I have been notified only a thousand times. There is some history to that which will be attended to! The Authoress's love and thanks!  
  
~  
  
A short history lesson before we proceed (sorry!):  
  
3000: Saruman turns bad. He becomes "ensnared" by Sauron.  
  
3001: Biblo says the best speech in the history of speeches and does the special disappearing trick, very nifty.  
  
3009: Gandalf and Ranger-boy go Gollum hunting and the "Mountains and all lands eastward are becoming dangerous."  
  
3014: "Theoden begins to fall ill and Grima began to gain a significant hold over him, though he had evidently been in the King's service for some time before this."  
  
There is your history lesson for the day and I just saved face so no yelling that I didn't check dates and go along with what was set. Though I will admit now that I will be screwing around with characters and probably making some people mad about that! Some liberties taken, like say how many people are in Rohan. And how many Rohirrim there are. Oh well!  
  
~  
  
"Harder!" The captain's shout called to the men all practicing with their heavy swords, "You are not even trying!"  
  
A few men grumbled, a few men rolled their eyes, and the others cursed under their breaths. It had been a long day for everyone and they just wanted to go home; eat and rest.  
  
"No one goes anywhere until I say so. You will practice here until you get this perfect. Do you hear me?" The captain yelled to the tired men.  
  
No one answered but moved back into the starting position and started to move as one coordinated, planned, mass of men.  
  
"Again!" The captain yelled when they had completed the form, not able to find any fault that time.  
  
The men were breathing hard now, taking deep breaths and trying to control their breathing.  
  
"You, on the end! What is your name?!" The captain yelled to the blonde headed man at the end of the line.  
  
"Eomer, sir." The man with the blonde hair answered in between breaths.  
  
"You are done for the day." The captain called back.  
  
Eomer nodded his head and left the training field, gasping for air all the way back to the training house.  
  
"You look tired." Theodred, Eomer's cousin was changing into his tunic and breaches for his own training.  
  
"He is in a bad mood. He obviously didn't have a women in his bed last night." Eomer regained his regular breathing and placed his sword down on the wooden bench.  
  
"Great, my arms are already sore." Theodred moaned and stood up to stretch, "You get to leave early?"  
  
"Yes, apparently he likes me." Eomer nodded and gave a little laugh.  
  
"No, the captain doesn't like anybody." Theodred shook his head.  
  
"That seems very true." Eomer agreed and other men started to slowly drift in the house to change from the training.  
  
"That was a tiring lesson." One man sighed as he stripped off his sweaty tunic.  
  
"Yes." Eomer nodded in agreement.  
  
~  
  
"My, Lord, do you not think the Rohirrim are strong enough in numbers?" Theoden's attendant asked him in their usual weekly meeting.  
  
"No, the Rohirrim can never be strong enough. The more able bodied men we have in the Rohirrim the better Rohan is off." Theoden laughed as his a attendant.  
  
"Yes, that is true but there is no threat of war and the men are training daily and they have nothing else to do. Could they not do other jobs around the city? Help supply food or something else useful like that?" The attendant suggested.  
  
"That is a valid suggestion. What do the other's think?" Theoden asked of the two other attendants and advisors in the meeting.  
  
The two looked at each other, unsure of what to say, "Whatever you deem is best, my Lord." One, Eothain answered. The other, Aranarth nodded in agreement.  
  
"I say, that you are right," Theoden spoke to his first attendant, "We will keep only the top Rohirrim in training and all others are to return to their daily lives until again called upon. Make the announcement."  
  
Eothain and Aranarth nodded and left the room.  
  
"You are a wise man, Grima, I am glad to have you as my most trusted advisor." Theoden smiled at his favourite attendant and rose from his chair.  
  
~ In Gondor ~  
  
"Father, is that really necessary?" Boromir, Faramir, and Ciara stood before Denethor after telling them of his new plan, decoys.  
  
"Yes. It has come to my attention that it would be beneficial to have decoys for all three of you that way you will be safer." Denethor nodded.  
  
"Safer from what?" Boromir looked at his father.  
  
"From everything." Denethor smiled at Boromir as if he were a dumb child, "And here they are." Three people entered the room, two men and one women, "Your doubles."  
  
"Hello." All three greeted at the same time and bowed to the lords and lady.  
  
"He doesn't look like me." Boromir looked at both of the men before him, one did look stunningly like Faramir but the other was only faintly in resemblance to himself.  
  
Ciara looked at her own 'double' and saw even less resemblance.  
  
"Well, I had a hard time finding people who not only looked like you three but that could fight as well." Denethor shrugged.  
  
"We can fight." Faramir muttered about himself and Boromir.  
  
"I know but my advisor suggested it and I thought it was a good idea." Denethor smiled. "Boromir, Faramir, Ciara, meet Boromir, Faramir and Ciara." Denethor smiled even larger than before.  
  
Ciara shook her head and looked towards Boromir and Faramir to see their reactions, the same. The three turned to leave but Denethor spoke again, "You will spend the next few days getting to know one another, or more correctly getting your doubles to know you." Denethor called.  
  
The doubles followed the real lords and lady out of the hall and towards Boromir's room, the usual meeting place for the brothers and their sister.  
  
"He gets crazier by the day, I swear." Boromir muttered.  
  
"Okay, let's get started." Faramir shut the door behind the six as they entered the room.  
  
~  
  
"I have a list of those of you who will be staying to continue training and those of you who will be leaving." The captain announced and the next days training session.  
  
The men passed the list around letting out relieved sighs or sighs of frustration depending on what they wanted and what they got.  
  
Eomer's name was on the top of the list to stay and train, he let out a sigh of relief.  
  
"Are you staying?" Eomer's close friend, Minardil whispered.  
  
"Staying. You?'  
  
"Staying, so are Amandil and Deor." Minardil said of Eomer's other two closest friends. In the end only ten were remaining in Eomer's group. Theodred, as he later found out, was lucky enough to stay on too.  
  
"Those of you who were asked to leave, please do so immediately." The captain called out. The twenty-two remaining men left the field and the captain looked at his remaining trainees with dismay, he was obviously not happy with the arrangement.  
  
The captain motioned the remained eight forward, "I am going to combine most of the other remaining men into training groups now. Go ahead and change, we are done for the day." The captain waved the men off.  
  
The remaining Rohirrim all met that evening in the Training House,  
  
"There are only a total of 2,500 Rohirrim all together, including captains, marshals, and new trainees." One man pointed out.  
  
"Now there are only 250 of us left." Another man called out.  
  
"Why did the king issue this? Theodred, what can you tell us?" One of Theodred's friends, Leod asked.  
  
"My father does not speak to me of political matters very much anymore." Theodred shrugged, "But I am as unhappy as the rest of you in this." He said.  
  
"Well, let's hope no one decides to attack the city-"  
  
"Like those dirty Gondorians!"  
  
"Because we'd be in trouble."  
  
"I'm sure we won't be under attack any time soon." Aerin, another one of Theodred's friends laughed.  
  
The men dispersed for the evening.  
  
~  
  
After a few days the doubles had learned much about their lords and lady and were fast becoming reliable decoys.  
  
Ciara and her decoy had become fast friends and the two found themselves sharing their wardrobes.  
  
"Ivorwen, what are you wearing?" Ciara looked at her double who was wearing the deepest shade of royal blue she could possibly imagine.  
  
"Blue." Ivorwen laughed.  
  
"You know I hardly ever wear that colour!" Ciara laughed.  
  
"I know but you're trying something new today." Ivorwen joked.  
  
"All right, just this once though. I am going for a walk with Elfhelm now, I will be back later. Moriana and Fingulas should be here soon." Ciara smiled and left the room, she had also become close friends with Elfhelm, Faramir's double.  
  
~  
  
"Start on your right foot!" The captain yelled to his men. The remaining Rohirrim had been broken into training groups of fifty each, only the best of the Rohirrim now remained.  
  
"Yes, sir." The Rohirrim answered and started their form once again. The captain had returned from his depression of loosing so many men and was now more strict than ever.  
  
"Stop." The captain called and let the men rest for a moment.  
  
"I will be choosing eight of you to go patrolling." The captain announced as he walked into between the men's lines straightening lines and posture as he went.  
  
"I have already chosen those eight, they are the most capable out of all of my groups and the rest of you should shape up to be more like them. The chosen are Eomer, Theodred, Minardil, Amandil, Deor, Leod, Aerin, and Fastrad." The captain called the names of both Eomer, Theodred, and their closest friends, strange coincidence, "You will all be preparing to leave tonight after you learn what your task is. Dismissed." The captain called and the other men left the room.  
  
"Gather up front." The captain called to the remaining eight, "This is a simple task but it is the first time any of you will be entering Gondorian lands since we have become enemies of each other."  
  
The men made faces of shock when they heard they would be entering Gondorian lands.  
  
"You will simply go to the borders of our land and the very edges of Gondorian land and see what people you may find. If you see any people near the edges of our borders they are to be captured and brought back here. As you know our people had strict orders to stay near Edoras and we don't want any near the borders. Others you find are now our prisoners. Understood?" The captain asked.  
  
"Yes, sir." The eight replied simultaneously and left the room as well.  
  
~ 


	2. Strangers in the Wood

Spoil of Rohan  
  
~  
  
5. Morning at the Window  
- Elliot  
  
THEY are rattling breakfast plates in the basement kitchens,  
  
And along the trampled edges of the street  
  
I am aware of the damp souls of housemaids  
  
Sprouting despondently of area gates.  
  
The brown waves of fog toss up to me  
  
Twisted faces from the bottom of the street,  
  
And tear from a passer-by with muddy skirts  
  
An aimless smiled that hovers in the air  
  
And vanishes along the level of the roofs.  
  
Authoress Note: Sorry for that guys, I felt it kind of poetically expressed what Rohan is like at this time!  
  
~  
  
"Are we ready to leave?" Theodred looked at his seven companions.  
  
"Ready." The seven replied after doing a quick mental check of the gear that they needed to bring along.  
  
"Okay men, I expect you to be gone for about a month or so. There is no need to hurry through the patrol." The captain informed the men.  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"Okay men, do your duty, ride for the land and the people and, be safe." The captain nodded and watched as the men mounted their sturdy steeds and slowly filed out of the paddock.  
  
~  
  
It had been a few weeks since Boromir, Faramir, Ciara and their doubles had left the white city and went on a hunting party. Boromir and Faramir had taken to hunting whenever there was a lull in training for a few weeks or so and since winter was only days away they had a longer stretch of time to leave. Ciara always went with her two brothers because she hated to be left alone and the three were so close.  
  
Ciara, their adopted sister, had grown especially attached to Boromir when she first arrived in Gondor but any chances of a relationship between the two vanished after a few years of becoming as close as any blood brother or sister and now the three hardly ever thought about Ciara's strange past and the fact that she was not a man but, an elf. Though she was an elf she hardly ever acted like one and certainly showed more mortal qualities than elvin.  
  
"Ciara, your posture is declining again." Boromir chided his sister gently.  
  
"That is what happens when we ride all day without stopping." Ciara raised her eyebrow in her brother's direction.  
  
"You are the one that suggested we get as far away from the city as we could." Boromir pointed out.  
  
"Yes, yes, I know." Ciara rolled her eyes and sat up straight.  
  
"I think we've past our borders by now." Faramir looked around him.  
  
"We'll keep following the Great West Road then until we are on the other side of Firien Wood." Boromir told the group.  
  
"What if we happen upon Rohirrim patrols?" Ivorwen asked.  
  
"I doubt that would happen but if we did I doubt there'd be much trouble." Boromir shrugged.  
  
"You hope so." Ciara added, though she was joking with Boromir as they are apt to do.  
  
~  
  
Theodred, Eomer and the rest of their group left Edoras late one evening and road along the Great West Road until Folde, where they left the road and traveled closer to the mountains looking for their own people and people of other lands. For the first week or so they met no one on the roads, they were desolate and eerily quiet. The men were forced to make up games among themselves to keep occupied from the long days riding and the oncoming cooler weather. The days grew shorter and shorter as the weather grew steadily colder.  
  
~  
  
"We have not seen many animals in these woods, why is that?" Ciara asked on night as the group was making their camp in a small clearing in the Firien Wood.  
  
"I do not know. I though it very strange myself." Boromir looked around him at the nearly silent woods, they had only heard few birds singing during their hunt that day and had not seen any animals larger than one small squirrel.  
  
"Tomorrow will be a better day, I can feel it." Elfhelm tried to cheer up the group, so far their hunting party had been everything but a disaster, they had hardly any game to show for their long weary travel.  
  
~  
  
"We have not met but three people on or whole patrol so far." Theodred's friend, Aerin complained one that very same evening.  
  
"People know about the relationship between Gondor and Rohan now, they must want to stay closer to Edoras I'm guessing." Theodred shrugged, he wasn't worried about it, whatever got him out of practicing for a month was fine with him.  
  
"I wish we'd run into some Gondorians, I want some excitement, this travelling and doing nothing is starting to bore me." Eomer protested.  
  
"That would be entertaining wouldn't it? Especially if they were in our lands, then we could really have some fun with them?" Eomer's friend, Deor agreed with Eomer whole-heartedly.  
  
"Chances of that are slim, don't count on it." Theodred shook his head.  
  
~  
  
"Where are we exactly?" Ivorwen asked late into the next afternoon.  
  
"We are still in Firien Wood-"  
  
"Thank you, Boromir, I know that much."  
  
"I think we are just a few hours ride from the Mering Stream." Faramir answered to Ciara's double.  
  
"Oh." Ivorwen nodded, though the answer didn't really help her with her bearings, Ciara's either. Neither had really so much as study a map before, they were left to trust the four men with them to know where they were.  
  
"Actually, I believe I hear the stream right now." Boromir's double, Estelmo corrected Faramir.  
  
"So you are right." Faramir nodded after he heard the gentle sound of running water up ahead.  
  
"Why do we want to find this stream again?" Ciara asked.  
  
"We can fill our water and there should be fish there instead of the few morsels of meat we have been finding." Boromir smiled and urged his horse on a little faster towards the stream.  
  
When the group arrived they all dismounted and their horses gratefully drank the cool water as their riders filled their share of water for themselves and began to make a comfortable camp near the stream.  
  
"We can stay here for a day or two and then we'll head home, how about that?" Boromir gave his judgement to the rest.  
  
"You do not want to see the other end of the wood?" Elfhelm asked.  
  
"This is nearly the edge and besides, what more is there to see?" Boromir smiled.  
  
"I guess you're right." Elfhelm nodded.  
  
"I want to go for a walk, who will come with me?" Ciara asked the group.  
  
"I will stay and make a fire." Boromir answered her.  
  
"I am staying right here, I am sore from all that riding." Ivorwen shook her head, though it was more because Boromir was staying.  
  
"I will go with you." Elfhelm stood up from where he had sat down to rest.  
  
"Anyone else?" Ciara offered but no one else answered so Ciara and Elfhelm headed off alone.  
  
"Don't go too far." Boromir called after them.  
  
~  
  
"We should stop soon, my horse seems to be limping." Eomer called to his fellow riders.  
  
"We'll stop up ahead, it's the borders of our land, we can keep a good watch there." Theodred called, since he knew how much the others wanted to feel like they were really doing their job.  
  
"Fine." Eomer nodded.  
  
The Rohirrim stopped and began to make their camp while Eomer tended to his horse's foot, the limp was only because the horse had a small rock stuck in his hoof, nothing more.  
  
"Eomer, go get some water will you?" Theodred asked his cousin.  
  
"Yes, Deor, come with me." Eomer called to his friend as he gathered water canteens.  
  
"I can't believe we haven't found anyone yet, this patrol was pointless." Deor complained to Eomer.  
  
"I know, I was hoping we could do something while we were out." Eomer agreed.  
  
"Wait, what was that?" Deor and Eomer stopped and listened. Laughter, someone was laughing and it sounded like a woman.  
  
"Do you think they are Gondorian?" Deor whispered to Eomer.  
  
"I hope so." Eomer nodded and the two put the canteens done and drew their swords as the advanced towards the noise.  
  
~  
  
Elfhelm and Ciara had decided to cross the Mering Stream, it was shallow enough and the water was only flowing gently over the smooth rocks on the bottom. Ciara had slipped once and nearly fell into the stream but Elfhelm caught her.  
  
"Oh!" Ciara cried as she slid sideways and Elfhelm grabbed her to steady her.  
  
"Watch out their graceful!"  
  
"Oh, be quiet!" Ciara laughed and the two came out on the other side of the stream, Ciara's dress wet all along the bottom.  
  
Ciara splashed water towards Elfhelm and he leaped towards her, Ciara dashed away into the woods, her hair falling out of the neat clip that Ivorwen had helped her put on that morning, "Come and get me!" Ciara called to Elfhelm and he ran after her.  
  
~  
  
"Wait, someone is coming." Eomer stood still in a clearing listening.  
  
"Come and get me!" a voice called out just near the clearing and a girl burst through the trees and towards Eomer, "Oh!" Ciara saw both Eomer and Deor with their swords drawn and stopped.  
  
Before either men could say anything Elfhelm came flying after Ciara.  
  
"I've got-"He stopped short when he saw Eomer and Deor.  
  
"Don't move." Deor said, both her and Eomer could tell the two were Gondorian by their dress.  
  
Ciara and Elfhelm stood, weaponless, side-by-side.  
  
"Do you have rope with you?" Eomer asked Deor.  
  
"No."  
  
"Me either, I'll take the girl, you take him." Eomer came towards Ciara.  
  
"Don't touch her!" Elfhelm warned.  
  
"What are you going to do? Fight me with a stick?" Eomer taunted.  
  
Elfhelm didn't say anything but stood still. Eomer grabbed Ciara by the hand, earning him a slap in the face, "Don't touch me!" Ciara cried out.  
  
Eomer picked up Ciara and tossed her over his shoulder in one fluid motion.  
  
"Put me down!" Ciara beat Eomer's back with her fists and tried to kick but Eomer's grip on her legs was to strong.  
  
Elfhelm lunged towards Eomer and a quick flash of blade and Elfhelm was on his knees holding a bleeding arm.  
  
"I told you not to move." Deor warned.  
  
"Theodred!" Eomer called back to their camp and in only moment Theodred and Aerin appeared.  
  
"What is it?" Theodred asked as he and Aerin came running through the trees.  
  
"Gondorians." Deor answered.  
  
"We are on our own land." Elfhelm spat at Theodred.  
  
"That is where you are wrong, you crossed that stream and came right into Rohirrim land, you are now our prisoners." Theodred smiled and tossed Eomer and Deor the rope he and Aerin were carrying.  
  
Eomer dropped Ciara back on the ground, nearly knocking the wind out of her and proceeded to tie her wrists behind her back and wrap some rope in her mouth so she couldn't scream, Elfhelm was also tied up.  
  
~  
  
"Where are those two?" Ivorwen asked as she Faramir, Boromir, and Estelmo ate the freshly caught fresh from the stream.  
  
"I am getting worried myself." Faramir confessed.  
  
"I and Estelmo will go look for them, you stay here with Ivorwen." Boromir commanded Faramir and he and Estelmo left to find Ciara and Elfhelm.  
  
~  
  
Ciara woke up with a headache hours later and felt her body being jarred but the movement of a horse, she had been thrown over one of the extra pack horses and tied down. She was luggage, and extra pack to carry home, and being treated like one. The sun was just beginning to rise in the distance and she could see the shadows of riders all around her. Her head throbbed with pain.  
  
~  
  
"This is her hair clip." Boromir picked up a small silver object lying on the forest floor. They had given up looking on their side of the stream and crossed over to see what they could find and this was all. There was no sign of them anywhere.  
  
"Boromir! I found a camp!" Estelmo called to Boromir.  
  
"Is it fresh?"  
  
"Yes, I'd say they made it last night and left shortly after they made it. They must be Rohirric, maybe they took Ciara and Elfhelm?" Estelmo suggested since it seemed the only other logical thing to assume.  
  
"Let's go back to camp and see if they came back." Boromir didn't want to think of his sister and friend in the hands of the Rohirrim.  
  
~ 


	3. A New Beginning

Spoil of Rohan  
  
TKF: To answer some questions that you asked and I don't know if they will all be properly answered in the story! Why does Eomer recognise Ciara? Well here we go!  
  
Ciara hasn't changed in appearance, that is correct! Eomer has changed in appearance, bet you guessed that one! The last time Eomer saw Ciara he was 4 years old. Though it seemed at the time in the story that Ciara made a profound impact on little Eomer and that little Eomer made a profound impact on Ciara they in fact didn't. The two spent only a few days together and though they seemed to really get along very well a 4 year old boy will barely remember a few days time playmate, like wise for Ciara. Ciara does not remember Eomer because, as I've mentioned and you well know, he has grown into a man. Yes, Ciara should remember him she is an elf after all but there's more to that. Which I cannot address right here because that will be part of the story!  
  
I hope that answers your questions! Any more? Ask me!  
  
Ciara tried to speak but the rope was still tied in her mouth and she couldn't get our any more than a strange sounding moan that could barely be heard over the thumping of the horses hooves. Ciara looked in front of her, the only way she could look, to see three riders paying no attention to her but talking to each other as they rode at a steady canter.  
  
"Did they come back?" Boromir asked as he pushed aside branches and entered the camp.  
  
"No. No sign of them." Faramir shook his head sadly and had no need to ask if they had had any better luck.  
  
"We found Ciara's hair clip but that's all. They crossed the stream and their was a very fresh camp on the other side. We think they were Rohirrim." Boromir sat down and put his head in his hands, "I can't believe this. It is all my fault. I led us al out here and let them wonder off."  
  
"Boromir, my brother, it is not your fault. You can't blame yourself for this. We will camp here to night in case they do come back and tomorrow we ride hard for home where we can gather guards to look for the two." Faramir put a comforting hand on Boromir's shoulder.  
  
"You're right." Boromir nodded and went to his bed to lie down.  
  
No one spoke to him or really much to each other that night but no one slept. They waited.  
  
"We'll stop for the night." Theodred called to the rest after riding well into the night.  
  
Ciara had never felt so uncomfortable in her life and was praying that they would let her off the horse.  
  
The group dismounted and prepared their camp like they usually did, not bothering to check on either of their prisoners. Finally Deor came over to Ciara and loosened the rope holding her to the horse. Ciara slid to the ground and the horse seemed as relieved as Ciara that she was off of him.  
  
Ciara was set down against a tree and her hands untied so she could eat and drink the small portion of food allowed to her. Elfhelm was propped up similarly against a tree all the way across the camp so the two couldn't talk.  
  
"How many days ride until Edoras?" Aerin asked the group.  
  
"Only a two days ride. We rode farther than normal today and we can ride hard again tomorrow and the next and be there." Eomer replied to Aerin.  
  
Ciara's heart nearly fell when she found she had to endure two more days of what she went through today. Elfhelm seemed to have the same expression on his face but it was hard to tell all the way across the fire-lit camp.  
  
"It's five possibly six days until we can make it back home. We have to ride hard, by the time we return wherever Ciara and Elfhelm are now, they certainly will be farther away." Boromir was talking to Faramir the next morning as Ivorwen and Estelmo packed up the camp.  
  
"We must hurry." Faramir shook his head and they all hurried to finish packing up their camp.  
  
Both parties rode hard in the direction they were trying desperately to reach in the shortest amount of time.  
  
Ciara and Elfhelm were forced again to ride in discomfort while the rest urged their horses hurriedly towards their destinations.  
  
"Welcome back men, you have been gone long. Are those prisoners?" The captain was in the stable as the Rohirrim returned.  
  
"Yes, we found them in the Firien Wood, on our border. They are Gondorian." Theodred answered for the group.  
  
"Have you questioned them?" The captain looked at both Ciara and Elfhelm.  
  
The group went quiet, it hadn't occurred to any of them to question their prisoners.  
  
"No?" The captain rolled his eyes and untied the rope from Ciara and Elfhelm's mouths. "Are you Gondorians?" The captain asked. Neither answered, "I'm taking that as a yes. I can tell you are, you are dresses as so and you look like one." The captain pointed to Elfhelm. "Who are you?"  
  
"Elfhelm, a servant in the Steward's household." Elfhelm answered, and it was the truth.  
  
"He reminds me of the Steward's son. Do you not think so?" Theodred asked of the captain.  
  
"I have never seen the Stewart's son. We will take him to your father." The captain replied looking at Elfhelm, "What about you?" the captain turned towards Ciara.  
  
"I am Moriana, also a servant of the Stewart." Ciara used her old friend's name for her own.  
  
"Hmm, what we you doing out in the woods?" The captain asked. Both were caught off guard with that question, it was a good one. Neither could think of a good and believable response to it. "That is what I thought. The King will decide what he wants to do with you intruders and we'll find out who you really are." The captain motioned for the Rohirrim to led the prisoners to the King.  
  
"Father, we have prisoners." Theodred called to his father as the group led the two prisoners into the King's hall.  
  
"Let me see them." Theodred looked at the two prisoners, one stood out to him immediately, "You there, are you the Stewart's son?" Theoden looked at Elfhelm.  
  
"No, I am Elfhelm. A servant of the Stewart." Elfhelm answered, suddenly feeling very nauseous.  
  
"What were you doing on out borders?" Theoden asked the same question as the captain.  
  
"We were with a hunting party and we strayed to far from the camp." Elfhelm guessed the less lying he did the better off both he and Ciara would be.  
  
"There were others?" The king looked to the Rohirrim.  
  
"None on our borders." Eomer answered.  
  
"Who is the girl?" Theoden nodded towards Ciara.  
  
"Another servant." Theodred answered.  
  
"Take her to the hold. I want to speak with this one." Theoden narrowed his eyes at Elfhelm. Eomer grabbed Ciara's arm and dragged her towards the hold. Ciara looked back at Elfhelm and felt a tear roll down her face, his face was stern and determined but she detected a hint of sadness.  
  
"Here, take care of her." Eomer handed Ciara to a guard of the hold. The guard led Ciara to an airy, open cell that had a fresh straw bed and one tiny window that allowed only a strip of sunlight in. The rest of the hold was nearly empty except for one old woman sleeping in a cell much like Ciara's.  
  
"Don't make to much racket and you can stay up here where it is nice. If you do then you'll be thrown in the dark hold where the crazy man is kept. Trust me, you don't want that." The guard warned Ciara gently and removed the ropes binding her before he left and locked the barred door behind him.  
  
The cell was only walled on three sides with just iron bars keeping her from the outside world, the same on the small window though it wasn't big enough for even a child to fit through. Ciara sat on the surprisingly soft bed and waited, for what she did not know.  
  
"Tell me who you really are." Theoden walked towards the prisoner.  
  
"I am not lying to you when I say I am Elfhelm just a servant of the Stewart."  
  
"There is something you are not telling me!" Theoden yelled as his advisor came up behind him, and whispered in his king's ear, "There are other ways to get him to talk."  
  
"Fine, get something out of him of Gondor." Theoden waved his hand and Theodred and the king's advisor lifted Elfhelm from the room and carried him away. The Rohirrim left to tend to the horses, they would hear about it later.  
  
"NO!" A scream rang out in the hold and Ciara ran to the bars of her cell, it sounded like Elfhelm.  
  
"Hey! Hey! Guard!" Ciara called to the guard who was falling asleep in his chair.  
  
"What?" The guard sat up and rubbed his eyes.  
  
"Who is that yelling?" Ciara asked frantically.  
  
"The prisoner they just brought in for questioning. Was he with you?" The guard asked.  
  
"Yes." Ciara felt sick to her stomach, she slide down the bars and rested her head against the cold metal, "No, no, no, no."  
  
"I'm sure it won't be too bad." The guard shook his head, "The last time they tortured someone was years ago."  
  
Ciara started to sob in her cell, she couldn't imagine Elfhelm being tortured, she didn't want to.  
  
The screams of pain rang out for another hour before the silence came. Ciara watched anxiously at her cell for a sign of Elfhelm. A guard rushed past and whispered something to the guard watching the hold.  
  
"Oh, that's not good." The guard murmured and ran into the torture chamber.  
  
"Wait! What happened!?" Ciara called after the guard.  
  
There was no answer.  
  



	4. Fortune's Fingers

Spoil of Rohan  
  
An old woman's laughter cackled and broke the silence that Ciara wept in.  
  
"He's gone deary. Gone as the days of past." The old woman croaked out.  
  
"What? What are you talking about?" Ciara looked towards the old woman in the cell diagonal from her own.  
  
"Your man friend, he's gone where no one can follow and come back." The woman smiled and turned away.  
  
Ciara could feel the anger within her swell, what does this old woman know?!  
  
The guard came back out and looked sadly at Ciara, "I'm sorry."  
  
"No!" Ciara screamed and buried her face back in her hands.  
  
"It's better than his life would have been if he stayed prisoner here. Think of it that way." The guard tried to comfort Ciara.  
  
"What, what about me? What is going to happen to me now?" Ciara looked up at the guard and tried to wipe away her tears.  
  
"I'm sure someone will let you out of here. Trust me, they won't let a pretty face rot in the hold." The guard smiled reassuringly and sat back down at his post.  
  
"What do we do?" Theodred asked his father after he told him that the prisoner had died during questioning.  
  
"Let me think about it." Theoden sat on his throne and sighed.  
  
"Let me take care of it, my lord. You have been weary of late and you don't need the worries right now." The king's advisor suggested to his lord.  
  
"All right. All right, you may take care of it." The king nodded  
  
"Boromir, how can this be?" Denethor looked at his two sons, who had just told him of the news of Ciara and Elfhelm's disappearance.  
  
"Father, it should have never have happened." Boromir sighed and sat on the floor.  
  
"The people can't know about it." Denethor warned.  
  
"Ivorwen will take Ciara's place until we get Ciara back." Denethor told his sons.  
  
"I will go and look for her." Boromir stood back up.  
  
"No, we must not let any suspicions out. We will send a messenger to Rohan and see what they say. We will send two guards out to search, that is it. I want her back as much as you do but we must think of the happiness of the people too." Denethor mandated.  
  
Boromir hated to agree but it was the best decision to be made.  
  
"What do we do about the girl?" Theodred asked his father.  
  
"Leave her in the hold." The king's advisor commanded.  
  
"Yes." Theodred nodded.  
  
"Actually, I need another servant. Could I just have her?' Eomer spoke up. He did not need another servant but the thought of letting a young girl rot away in the hold sickened him.  
  
"If you want her." Theoden agreed.  
  
"Thank you." Eomer bowed and left to retrieve his new servant.  
  
"Bring her to me." Eomer commanded the guard watching the hold.  
  
Ciara woke up and saw one of the men who had captured her standing near the door of the hold, her heart nearly stopped and when the guard opened the door she didn't move.  
  
"What did I tell you? They wouldn't let you rot in here." The guard smiled and came to escort her out of her cell.  
  
"Take her to my room and prepare the extra room as hers please." Eomer commanded a servant passing by.  
  
The old lady nodded and led Ciara to Eomer's large room.  
  
"This room back here will be yours." The lady opened the door to a small room. What the room lacked in space and, furniture, it made up for with a beautiful view of the King's personal horse fields.  
  
"Someone will get you a bed and some clothes." The lady said and walked away.  
  
Ciara stood in her empty room, now what?  
  
Gondor's messenger was sent out to Rohan and the two most trusted guards were sent on the search for Ciara, no one in the city noticed the absence of the well-liked daughter of the Stewart.  
  
"I feel so guilty for all of this." Boromir confessed to his brother.  
  
"The blame is on all of us, not just you." Faramir reassured his brother.  
  
"Who are you?" Another servant came in Eomer's room to see Ciara sitting in one of Eomer's chairs reading.  
  
"Ci-Moriana." Ciara almost slipped and said her real name to the man standing before her.  
  
"And why are you in here?" The servant questioned.  
  
"I don't really know. I think I am Eomer's new servant." Ciara set the book down, "Who are you?"  
  
"Baran, a servant." The man, Baran answered, "You think you are Eomer's servant. How do you not know?"  
  
"Well, hours ago I was a prisoner in the hold and then Eomer came in and told some lady to take me to his room and here I am." Ciara told her brief story.  
  
"Oh, so you are the prisoner." Baran nodded.  
  
"Yea, I guess."  
  
"The one from Gondor?"  
  
"That would be me."  
  
"Well than. We'll need to get you some different clothes and I'm guessing a bed too?" Baran looked into Ciara's empty room.  
  
"That would be nice." Ciara nodded.  
  
"I will tell Hallas than." Baran left the room for a few minutes and then came back in.  
  
"Clothes are on the way and so is a bed."  
  
"Thank you." Ciara smiled.  
  
"So, how did you get here in Rohan?" Baran began to pull sheets off Eomer's bed as he talked.  
  
"I was on a hunting trip with my brothers and friends." Ciara felt sad thinking of her brothers and the friends she had left behind.  
  
"And they did not get taken?"  
  
"Only I and Elfhelm were on Rohan's borders, we were taking a walk and got captured. I bet they are looking for us though."  
  
"I know they are. Any brother would look for his lost sister. Brother's do not take lightly to their sister's being insulted like that." Baran nodded.  
  
"You have a sister?"  
  
"Yes, she is safe in one of the villages far from here where I and my brother, Hallas, are servants of the Royal Family."  
  
"The Royal Family? What are they like?" Ciara thought about saying she had been here once before many years ago but figured it would be wiser to not say that.  
  
"The King was a great man until lately, he had been ill a lot and doesn't seem to have the same personality and drive he used to. The lady Eowyn is very nice but she would rather train with the men than stay in the castle. The rest, Theodred and Eomer, it is wise to stay out of there way." Baran sighed.  
  
"Well, I think that will be difficult for me now."  
  
"Yes, it will be." Baran agreed.  
  
"Do not make Eomer mad, do what he says and obey him with your every breath." Baran warned.  
  
"So he is upset easily then?"  
  
"Not exactly but he dislikes servants not obeying him and when he does get angry he had quite a temper." Baran shook his head and finished tucking Eomer's sheets in his bed.  
  
"As a servant, what am I supposed to do?"  
  
"It depends on what Eomer wants you to do. Be his personal servant, then you follow him around and are really more like his advisor maybe with out so much of advising him though. If you are his chamber maid, you clean his room, his bathing room that sort of thing."  
  
"Oh." Ciara sighed, neither of those sounded very much like things she wanted to do.  
  
"He will let you know. Just remember, listen and obey."  
  
"I'll try." Ciara nodded as Baran left. Though she was never very good at listening and certainly not obeying, after all she grew up the last eighteen years having servants take care of her, now roles were switched.  
  



	5. A Taste of the Life

Spoil of Rohan  
  
Eomer entered his room, Ciara was still stretched out across one of his many chairs and nearly fell off when he came in. Eomer didn't say anything to Ciara but headed right into his bathing room and closed the door behind him.  
  
Ciara looked at the closed door, what was she supposed to do now? She sat up in the chair and placed the book next to her. Perhaps she should put the book away? No, what else was there for her to do in this room? Nothing.  
  
Hallas had not yet brought Ciara's bed or clothes for her.  
  
Finally Eomer emerged from the bathing room, his hair wet from the bowl of water that he had used to quickly wash himself before dinner. He had just a towel wrapped around his muscular waist and he dug through his wardrobe trying to find clean clothes. He found a pair, though they didn't match. Eomer dressed quickly in the privacy behind the dressing screen.  
  
"That doesn't match." Ciara pointed out as Eomer walked out and stood in front of the mirror.  
  
"Really?" Eomer didn't even turn to look at her.  
  
"No, you should have worn the darker brown with those leggings." Ciara suggested.  
  
Eomer looked back in his wardrobe, the clothes were dripping out of in and were strewn strategically over the floor. He spotted the dark brown tunic Ciara was talking about, "Fine then." Eomer nodded.  
  
He quickly switched tunics and turned back to the mirror. He shook his long sun-kissed hair as dry as he could manage and didn't bother to run a comb through it, just rub it down with the towel from his waist and it was soon a messy dry.  
  
Eomer slipped on his boots and headed towards the door.  
  
"What am I supposed to do?" Ciara asked indignantly.  
  
"Stay here." Eomer answered and left.  
  
"Great, because I have so much else to do." Ciara grumbled to herself as Eomer left the room. Only seconds later though Hallas finally came with bedding and clothing for her.  
  
"Sorry it took so long but their was a crisis in the kitchen." Hallas apologized, "My, you are pretty."  
  
"Oh, thanks." The compliment had caught Ciara off guard, in this place she hadn't expected any.  
  
"I will set everything up for you." Hallas made up a cushioned bed for Ciara and hung the items of clothing he had brought for her in a small wardrobe for her, "Come with me to the kitchens."  
  
"I have to stay here, he said." Ciara wanted to leave but didn't want to make her new 'master' angry with her on the first day.  
  
"Do you want food?"  
  
"Well, yes."  
  
"Then you'd better come with me. He'll understand." Hallas reassured Ciara.  
  
The two made their way down to the kitchen where quite a few other servants were sitting around eating, though Ciara noticed they were all male.  
  
"Who is this pretty little one?" A servant smiled up at Ciara as she entered.  
  
"This is Eomer's new servant, Moriana, be nice to her." Hallas introduced Ciara.  
  
"A woman? That is odd." Another servant mentioned.  
  
"Why is that odd?" Ciara asked.  
  
"We don't have any women servants here anymore." Another servant answered that question.  
  
"No women servants? But what about the lady of the house? She has no ladies to take care of her?"  
  
"There is no lady of the house and Eowyn won't allow any women to look after her."  
  
"Eowyn, who is that?" Ciara thought the named sounded strangely familiar.  
  
"Lady Eowyn, niece to King Theoden and cousin to Theodred." Hallas motioned for Ciara to sit down next to him.  
  
"Eowyn." Ciara thought for a moment, "Does she have a brother?" Ciara asked after a moment.  
  
"Yes, your master, Eomer, is her brother." Hallas smiled as if Ciara were some slow child just coming to a realization.  
  
"Oh!" Ciara gasped, suddenly it all came back to her. She knew Eomer and Eowyn! Eomer had been her friend so many years ago. How could she have forgotten! "I know Eomer!" Ciara burst out.  
  
No one quite understood what she meant and many of them broke out in laughter, "I sure hope so if you are his servant!" One laughed.  
  
"No, no, not that. I knew him a long time ago. He was just a little boy!" Ciara clarified what she had meant. Suddenly the room went quiet. Everyone looked at Ciara sadly.  
  
"Milady, if we could bring back the Eomer you knew many years ago we gladly would, but he is a very different, very changed man now. He is not the little boy he once was. Hard times have hardened his once soft heart." Baran, Hallas's brother said very somberly.  
  
"But, what if I made him remember me? I could go home!" Ciara smiled hopefully.  
  
"Milady, please listen just a moment. Eomer is not what you remember. He is a man of war and power now, his heart has been corrupted like many of the other people here. You can't trust him any longer. Your best bet is to forget about the old Eomer." Hallas suggested.  
  
Ciara sat in silence, it could really be as bad as they are saying. She would talk to him later this evening, she had to!  
  
Hallas and Baran led Ciara back to Eomer's room after dinner.  
  
"Moriana, please, I know you want to talk to him but for your own sake I ask you not to." Hallas took Ciara's hands and stared deep into her eyes.  
  
"I-"Ciara couldn't bring herself to lie to the two brothers who had been so nice to her so far, "I can't promise. I will try not to but, you must understand how hard it will be for me." Ciara pleaded.  
  
"I know. We know but, I can promise you won't like the outcome of it. There is not even the slightest chance that things could go the way you wanted. Give us this much, don't say anything to him tonight. Wait and observe for just a few days and then decide. Can you do that?" Baran asked.  
  
"Yes."  
  
Hallas dropped Ciara's hand quickly as Eomer appeared in the doorway.  
  
Hallas and Baran bowed in respect before both giving Ciara a quick glance as they left to their own sleeping rooms.  
  
"What is your name again?" Eomer asked as he closed the door behind him.  
  
Ciara suddenly felt very strange, standing alone in a room with a man that she didn't really know, "Moriana."  
  
"Well, Moriana, you will know be my personal servant. Tomorrow morning I expect a bath drawn for me and clothes set out by the time the sun has fully risen." Eomer instructed and headed to his wardrobe to toss his dinner clothes in before briefly washing his face and preparing for bed.  
  
"Night." Moriana sighed as she headed towards her own room.  
  
"Leave your door open at all times." Eomer added as he crawled into his own bed. Ciara tried her hardest not to look at his now barely clad body.  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Yes, my lord." Eomer stared at Ciara.  
  
"Yes, my lord." Ciara replied with a little contempt creeping into her voice.  
  
"I expect the utmost respect from you. I saved you from rotting away in the dungeon, for that you should be ever grateful."  
  
Ciara narrowed her eyes, if they was one thing that she was never good at it was being told how to act and what to feel. Boromir and Faramir had known this very well and had always teased her about. It had been years since anyone had dared to tell her how to act.  
  
"Yes, my lord." Ciara said, straining to sound as pleasant as possible but Eomer had caught her strained tone.  
  
"Remember, you belong to me now." Eomer smiled wickedly and blew the candle beside his bed out emerging the room into sudden darkness. Ciara was left to fund her way to her bed and undress in the dark.  
  
Ciara woke the next morning, the sun just peeking over the eastern sky. Ciara flew out of bed and rushed into Eomer's bathing room to see if their was any water in the tub. Of course, there wasn't. Ciara cursed under her breath and ran from the bathing room and into the hall, right into Hallas who was carrying water along with Baran to Eomer's room.  
  
"Oh, I need water. Fast!" Ciara whispered.  
  
"We are bringing Eomer his water." Hallas smiled knowingly.  
  
"Okay, clothes!" Ciara ran back into the room and flung open Eomer's wardrobe doors to search for clothes. She had no idea what to pick out. What was he doing today?  
  
"Something he can practice weapon training in." Baran whispered as he passed by.  
  
Ciara mouthed a thank you and picked out the appropriate attire. Ciara then rushed back into the bathing room to check and see how the bath was coming along. Everything was set.  
  
Ciara emerged from the bathing room to see Eomer sitting, with a haughty smile, on his bed.  
  
"Everything ready?" Eomer asked lazily.  
  
"Yes," Ciara sighed, "Yes, my lord."  
  
"Good." Eomer smiled and rested his head back on his headboard, "I think I will sleep in today." Eomer readjusted himself underneath his covers.  
  
Ciara let out an annoyed sigh and cursed Eomer a million times over in her mind as she headed back to her own bed.  
  



	6. Serving Jewellery

Spoil of Rohan 

"I swear he did it just to make me angry." Ciara sighed and put her head down later that day in the kitchen.

"Oh, do you really believe that?" Bregor, another servant and the cook looked at Ciara.

"Yes, he did it out of spite. I can tell already, he hates me." Ciara nodded.

"If he hated you he would have left you in the dungeon, trust me. Or he would have given you to any number of different men in the city." Bregor assured Ciara.

"Then he likes to give his servants a very hard time."

"Maybe it is because you are from Gondor." Bregor shrugged.

The Gondorian messenger arrived at Rohan's gates, he told so many different guards and people his business in Rohan he wouldn't be surprised if the whole land knew by the time he had gotten to the king.

"The king cannot see you right now but his most trusted advisor will see you." One of the many nameless guards told the messenger.

"Yes, son of Gondor?" Theoden's most trusted advisor entered the room.

"I am hear to see if there has been any news of two missing Gondorians in these lands." The messenger asked.

"Ah, yes, we found two bodies, very Gondorian in appearance both, dead. A young man and a young woman. Could those possibly be the two?" Theoden's advisor asked.

"Dead?" The messenger stood in shock; this was something no one had expected.

"Yes, we have the young man's body still and some items of the young woman if you want to see them and make sure they are those who you are looking for." Theoden's advisor offered.

The messenger stood, silent, praying silently it wasn't the body of Elfhelm.

"I'll have them brought immediately." The advisor turned to a servant standing near the door.

Ciara followed Baran down the long hall towards the main hall where they were going to clean the floor. The two were stopped right outside the door by a guard attending the room.

"You can't go in Theoden's advisor is meeting with a messenger. You'll have to wait a few minutes." The guard informed the two. Baran and Ciara nodded and headed towards the smaller hall next to the main hall to wait.

As Ciara and Baran passed the open doors to the main hall both looked in to see Theoden's advisor talking to a dirty looking messenger who appeared to be very upset.

Ciara accidentally splashed some water on the floor and both Theoden's advisor and the messenger turned towards the noise. Ciara quickly bent down to wipe the water off the floor, hiding her face from view as her hair fell to cover her face. The messenger never recognised her.

"Ahh, here is the body and the few items found from the young woman." The advisor motioned towards the guards carrying in the wrapped body and the clothing from Ciara.

"Is this your missing man?" The advisor asked as the sheet was pulled away from the face to reveal Elfhelm's pale, lifeless face.

The messenger took in a sharp breath and nodded gravely.

"And the clothes? Familiar at all?"

Again the messenger nodded, that was certainly a dress only the steward's daughter could wear.

"Do you wish to carry the body back with you?" The advisor asked as he gently handed the clothes back to the messenger.

"It is too long of a ride. Will you give it the proper disposal?" The messenger asked as he felt the hot tears slowly start to gather in his eyes.

"Yes, that much we can do. We are sorry for your lose." The advisor bowed his head, "I regret our meeting was so short but I must attend to the King now. Have a safe journey." The advisor left the room with the guards carrying the body with them.

The messenger turned and slowly made his way back to his horse, carrying Ciara's clothing with him

'The body?" The guards asked the advisor as they left the room.

"Feed it to the wolves." The advisor waved his hand and left them.

The guards looked at each other and silently came to an understanding. Late that night a blaze could be seen in the forest, the blaze from one lone body that couldn't be fed to wolves now.

Ciara and Baran finished washing the front hall and headed back towards the kitchens to dump the water and get something to eat for their diner.

"Baran, where is Moriana?" Eomer appeared in the kitchen and all life seemed to cease existing as soon as he appeared.

"She is right over their, my lord." Baran motioned towards Ciara who was helping wash up dishes.

"Moriana." Eomer called. Ciara didn't answer, "Moriana!" Ciara suddenly turned, she still was not used to being called Moriana.

"Yes?" Ciara saw it was Eomer talking to her and she immediately corrected herself, "Yes, master?"

"Come with me." Eomer commanded and walked away. Ciara shot a quick, frightened glance at Baran as she walked out of the door.

"My lord, where are we going?" Ciara asked quietly as she followed Eomer down the hall.

"I am giving you something." Eomer answered cryptically and Ciara wasn't at all sure what this meant.

Finally they were back in Eomer's room and he was pulling out a jewellery box. Jewellery? That didn't make any sense, why would Eomer be giving her jewellery?

"I want you to wear this." Eomer handed Ciara a bracelet for her ankle.

"Why?" Ciara stared at the bracelet, it had tiny little bells all around it and they made a lovely jingling noise whenever the bracelet was moved.

"So that every man in this realm will know that he is not to touch you because you belong to me. And I can find you easier when I need you now." Eomer waited until Ciara had secured the bracelet around her ankle before looking away.

Ciara wanted to say something but what could she say? There was nothing for her to say.

"You may go back to the kitchens, and remember. If you try to run away someone will hear you and know that you are mine. You can't that bracelet off now." Eomer paused as Ciara looked down to see that the lock could not be undone except for with a key and the chain was not likely to break easily. Eomer turned and left Ciara alone with her anger.

The messenger stood before the doors of the hall of the King. He held the clothes in his arms. Slowly he walked forward to Denethor where he was sitting in his great onyx chair.

"What is the word from Rohan?" Denethor demanded immediately.

The messenger held the clothes out to the steward, not saying anything.

"Does this mean- "Denethor's voice trailed off.

"They are both dead. They were found by some of the Rohirrim dead." The messenger said quietly.

Denethor held Ciara's clothes to his face and buried his face in them, "Get my sons."

An attendant went to fetch Boromir and Faramir so they could learn of the news.

They entered the hall in a hurry, they knew something was not right.

Denethor held the two sets of clothing out for his sons to see.

"She's dead!" Boromir gasped.Denethor nodded, he couldn't say anything.

"No!" Boromir stumbled backwards and ran into one of the great columns that decorated the hall. Faramir immediately went to his brother's side. Both lamenting for the loss of their lovely sister.

"We must keep this secret from Gondor. None shall ever know or we will have great strife. Ivorwen will take Ciara's place permanently." Denethor demanded.

Fingulas and Morwen both wept over the loss of their revered mistress but had to keep things to themselves.

"Look!" Ciara stormed back into the kitchen where the few servants and the royal house were now all assembled except for the king's own advisor.

"What is it?" Baran turned to see Ciara with tears glistening in her eyes.

"My ankle." Ciara let out a little sob and thrust her leg forward, with it came the sound of the bells jingling.

"Ah, you've been given the bells." Baran nodded knowingly, "It's not as bad as you really think it is. All personal servants have some sort of thing like that on them so everyone knows who their master is." Baran explained.

"That's barbaric!" Ciara shouted and headed towards the table to sit.

Algund, another one of the servants in the house sat across from Ciara, "It's okay sweetie, I have this necklace." He motioned to the thick rope tied around his neck in the fashion of a necklace.

"It's not a necklace, it's a collar!" Ciara couldn't help her tears. Baran stared at Ciara for moment and an understanding came to him, she had not been a servant before she came here. She couldn't have possibly have been in any way. She didn't accept the fact that she had to obey, she had been a free woman, a very free woman. A great woman in her land and now she was reduced to a servant.

Boromir sat in his room holding Ciara's dress. Boromir still couldn't quite believe that Ciara was gone and she was never coming back. He wanted to ride to Rohan and show them how he felt but knew that would only cause more problems between their lands that they really didn't need right now.

Ivorwen knocked lightly on Boromir's bedroom door, "Boromir, can I come in?"

"Yes, yes." Boromir placed the dress on a table in his room and turned to Ivorwen. She was dressed in one of Ciara's old dresses and it caused a lump in the back of Boromir's throat. It was sickening to see her in one of Ciara's old dresses. He wanted to rip it off her and hold it to him, he wanted to see Ciara's room just the way she left it, ready for her to return to it.

"I wanted to see how you were doing? I didn't see you this morning or this afternoon at lunch." Ivorwen stayed in the doorway, she had felt Boromir's coldness towards her ever since the news of Ciara had come.

"Fine, thank you." Boromir answered, though he wouldn't look at her.

"Boromir, why don't we talk anymore? We used to be such good friends." Ivorwen ventured to ask.

"I think we should get you a new wardrobe, and perhaps change the things around in Cia- your new room." Boromir suggested. Ivorwen understood what he was feeling though and didn't protest.

"Of course, Boromir, as you wish." Ivorwen nodded and left the room.

Morwen and Fingulas sat in Ciara's old bedroom and talked quietly to themselves.

"What do you think of this Ivorwen?" Morwen asked.

"I don't like her, not one bit." Fingulas said honestly.

"Me either. She's not nice to us like Ciara was. With Ciara we were friends. With Ivorwen we are servants." Morwen sighed and no sooner had she finished Ivorwen returned.

"I need new clothes immediately, Boromir wishes it." Ivorwen demanded.

"What exactly do you need, my lady?" Fingulas asked politely.

"An entirely new wardrobe. I want this old clothes gone!" Ivorwen tore the dresses our of the wardrobe and both Morwen and Fingulas looked on in complete horror.

"Here, I will take care of these for you." Fingulas hurried to pick the dresses off the floor.

"I want all this clothes gone, like they never existed." Ivorwen warned Morwen and Fingulas.

"Of course, of course." Morwen nodded and helped Fingulas.


	7. The Girl He Could Have

Spoil of Rohan 

O O O

Authoress Note: So, I know it's been ages since you last heard from me. I swear I live and I'm going to start working on this story again. My excuse would be...school...and that's about it. So, sorry about that and please, drop a review!

O O O

Ciara sat in the kitchen with the rest of the servants in the kitchen talking among them. Suddenly, Eomer burst through the doors. Ciara sighed, annoyed at the intrusion of her time to relax.

"Moriana, come now!" Eomer waved her over to him.

"What?" Moriana forgot her formality for the moment and let her curiosity take over.

"Come with me." Eomer grabbed her arm and led her down the halls to his room. Moriana was dragged into his room and he led her to his bed, "Put this on." Eomer grabbed a gorgeous royal blue robe off the bed and shoved it into Ciara's arms.

"Why?"

"Just, put it on!" Eomer turned her toward the bathing room and gave her a shove. Ciara, influenced by his hurried actions rushed into the bathing room and nearly jumped into the gorgeous gown. She ran out of the bathing room to implore Eomer's help with the strings that tied the dress in the back, "Eomer, help me." Ciara turned so Eomer could lace the strings up, surprising well too.

"Can I just ask why?"

"Here's your shoes, and some jewelry." Eomer handed Ciara a beautiful necklace of the rarest gems. Ciara stopped asking and put these jewels on. Eomer rushed to his door and opened it, he pulled in Hallas, who had apparently been waiting in the hall, "Hurry and do her hair!" Eomer closed the door quickly behind Hallas. Ciara sat in a chair that Eomer pulled over to his wardrobe and Hallas quickly and expertly braided Ciara's hair in a very formal style.

"Will you explain this to me now?" Ciara was beginning to feel very frustrated about this situation.

"Give me your foot." Eomer ignored her question.

"What?"

"Your foot!"

Ciara stuck her leg out so her foot was available to Eomer, he quickly unlocked the chain he had placed there earlier and tossed it into his messy wardrobe. Ciara was more curious than ever now.

"Are you done yet?" Eomer asked Hallas.

"Yes, yes, I just finished." Hallas stepped back from Ciara and gave her a quick wink before leaving the two.

"Good, you're ready to go." Eomer nodded.

"I'm leaving? Someone came to get me?! Who is it-"

"No, there is no one here for you. Why would anyone come after their servant?" Eomer shook his head. Though suddenly an idea just popped into his head. Ciara suddenly took on a new presence in this formal outfit, her posture and stance seemed to imitate someone who was very used to wearing these kinds of clothes. No normal servant would be that comfortable in an outfit that formal. And her request about someone coming to get her was odd too, she should have known that. Eomer didn't have time to question though.

"Sit, while I get ready." Eomer commanded and grabbed an outfit that was lain out for him. Ciara waited impatiently while Eomer dressed himself in record time.

"Okay, let's go." Eomer grabbed Ciara's hand and pulled her out of his room.

"What are we doing?!" Ciara demanded.

"We are going to a feast, you are going to accompany me and I don't want to say anything to anyone, let me do all the talking. Stay be me the whole night and make it look like we're suppose to be together, like we've been together for a while. If you don't, the consequences will be dear." Eomer explained quietly and quickly as they rushed down the halls to the formal hall. Eomer linked his arm through hers as they neared the grand hall. The noise of many voices and music resonated through the halls before the two had reach the hall.

O O O

"Where is good Eomer?" Theoden asked his son.

"I am sure he'll be here any minute, you know Eomer, he likes to make an entrance." Theodred smiled to his father.

"That lovely girl, Tindomiel is here." Theoden smiled.

"Oh, that's....nice." Theodred finished, he knew how much Eomer really did not like Tindomiel. Eomer's father had wanted Eomer to marry the daughter of his closest friend, and she just happened to be Tindomiel, to Eomer's misfortune.

Eomer and Ciara walked into the hall, late as Eomer usually is and all eyes turned to the two when they entered. Though soon eyes were shifting to the beautiful girl with Eomer, many ladies were sadly disappointed by this newest addition to Eomer's attire.

Eomer said his hellos to his friends and acquaintances as he made his way over to the royal table.

"Eomer, my boy, always making the fashionably late entrances aren't you?" Theoden smiled down at his nephew.

"This time I didn't mean to, actually. I merely forgot the gathering was tonight." Eomer smiled and gave his sister a kiss on the cheek.

"Who is the lovely lady with you? You haven't introduced us." Theodred smiled at Ciara, clearly not recognizing her as the captive.

"She's that Gondorian we captured, I'm just using her as a fake to make Tindomiel think that I am involved." Eomer whispered in Theodred's ear.

"Oh," Theodred looked at Ciara, "She dresses up well, especially for a girl from Gondor." Theodred gave a wicked smile and patted Eomer on the arm, "I bet you make good use of this one."

Ciara wanted to say something to that comment, she knew it had a wicked meaning behind it, a meaning that she had certainly thought of since Eomer had made her his servant. She held herself back because of Eomer's warning, and she wanted to stay in this outfit for as long as she could, it felt good, it felt normal. It made her think of Boromir.

O O O

Boromir sat in Ciara's room, now Ivorwen's room, thinking of his lost sister. It had been nearly three weeks since her disappearance and he thought of her everyday. Ciara's room had been rearranged and filled with new furniture, all her clothes had been replaced with new. Boromir sighed, he missed Ciara, he missed the smallest things that he took for granted when she had been with him. He missed the way she smelled, the way she sighed when Boromir did some reckless, her preference for going barefoot in the house, the way she would rub his neck after a hard day of training. Boromir had been absolutely depressed since she left and it just seemed to get worse, not better as time went on.

Ivorwen walked in to find Boromir sitting on her bed.

"Boromir." Ivorwen had grown used to finding Boromir in her room at random times, she had grown accustomed to it now.

"Ivorwen." Boromir muttered, barely audible.

"Did you go to training today?" Ivorwen asked.

"No." Boromir shook his head, some days he was just too lost to train.

"You should have. You need to move on Boromir." Ivorwen wrapped her arm around Boromir, "You can't bring back the dead."

"She would have never had died if it hadn't been for me leading us out there." Boromir put his head in his hands, he blamed himself everyday for her death.

Ivorwen didn't say anything but silently prayed that he would move on from his mourning. Ivorwen had had her eye on Boromir since she had first come into the house as Ciara's double and now without the presence of Ciara her chances were better, or so she had thought that they would be.

O O O

"Eomer, take your lovely lady friend here out to dance." Theoden smiled at Eomer and his beautiful date.

"No, I don't feel like dancing." Eomer shook his head, he didn't want to run into Tindomiel. Theoden shook his head and laughed.

Too bad for Eomer, Tindomiel came to find him. Eomer and Ciara were getting drinks from the servants when a girl grabbed Eomer's arm, "My Eomer!" The girl smiled.

"Hi, Tindomiel." Eomer sighed, he immediately started looking for ways out of this. Ciara just stood to his side, taking account of this situation and this girl. She was much shorter than Ciara, though most women were, and much more stocky. She had hair that reminded Ciara of the color of dying leaves on the trees, her eyes were the same mucky color. Her complexion was very pale and red, she was not at all an attractive lady.

"Will you dance with me, my Eomer?" Tindomiel smiled and her crooked teeth seemed to overwhelm her face.

"I can't." Eomer grabbed Ciara's arm and pulled her next to him, "This is Ciara, I'm here tonight with her." Eomer smiled.

Tindomiel just stared at Ciara, eyeing her up and taking in what she saw, and she did not like what she saw, "Oh, and who is this?" Tindomiel smiled and tried to be polite.

"This is Moriana, we're together." Eomer nodded.

"How long has this been going on?" Tindomiel asked, her politeness wearing thin, she had obviously been asking about Eomer's love life long before tonight, preparing.

"Just a week or so. Not very long." Eomer smiled, feeling very pleased with himself.

"It's been two weeks." Ciara cut in, this girl was out to find if Eomer was lying to her and she knew it. Ciara could feel this girl's game and there was no way she would believe Eomer unless Ciara spoke up too.

"Oh." Tindomiel shrugged. And Eomer gave Ciara a very surprised look, "Where are you from? I've never seen you before." Tindomiel had lost her polite tone and was now interrogating Ciara and Eomer.

"I'm from Arthedain. My family is new to Rohan.'' Ciara lied.

Tindomiel thought for a moment, she didn't know of the land and she didn't quite believe Ciara but she had nothing else to say, '' I'm happy for you, Eomer.'' Tindomiel gave an extremely forced smile, and she marched off.

O O O


End file.
